Breaching the Perimeter

I pushed past the heavy sliding glass door, finding the gap left open by half an inch. My boots crossed the raised aluminum track onto the textured concrete of the balcony. The air outside was cool and vast. A pale blue ceramic saucer sat upside down near the railing, perfectly level. I marched to its center, stepped onto the flat base, and raised my rifle to high port. Below, the courtyard pavement formed a sharp grid of paving stones extending east to west. I marked the first exterior landmark.